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Many Halloween masks are ugly and grotesque, but some are just strange!

This three-faced mask from Pinterest* made me laugh … and shudder! Strange, right?

And that hamburger mask gives new definition to the term “Meathead!”

Some of the “masks” we wear every day are pretty strange too.

Just a few:

A drama queen (or king) mask might be hiding a cry for attention.

An obnoxious mask might hide an insecure or frightened personality.

A cynical mask sometimes hides a lonely, unhappy person.

A know-it-all mask can actually hide a person looking for respect.

As a Christian, the mask that bothers me the most – because I often wear it myself – is the PIOUS MASK.

It’s so easy to be a Christian “pretender” when it comes to spiritual growth.

Think about it . . . we masquerade in many ways.

We might mask our lack of time in the Word of God or prayer with ministry to others.

We might mask our nervousness about coming to God with our sins with a busy schedule.

We can mask our failure to walk in the Spirit with a list of rules.

We may even mask our disobedience with sacrificial living.

Our masks might look good to others, but we forget God sees our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7; Jeremiah 17:10). He sees past the masks. He knows who we really are.

Our masks may give us some measure of comfort, but they also hinder true intimacy with God and others.

God wants us to be authentic. We can’t impress the Lord, and He wants us to be real with people. He wants us to live to please Him alone, and not worry about what others think of us (John 12:43; Galatians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:4).

Question: Count Dracula decided he needed a dog. Which breed did he choose?

Answer: A Bloodhound

At first, I thought this pup (left) was a Halloween costume, but it’s not. It turns out that little Mondex, a five-year-old Chihuahua, participated in the “fashion show” category of a dog show in suburban Manila, Philippines ~ and he won first place!

Whether you agree with dressing animals up in clothes or not, there really are some adorable pet costumes for Halloween out there! [I’m sharing a few here.]

But no matter how we dress them up, they are still dogs and cats.

I was thinking about this … No matter how we humans try to hide behind masks, we know who we are in the secret part of our hearts, don’t we? We can’t hide from ourselves.

I’ve focused for the better part of my life on the fact that I can’t hide from God. People have been hiding from God since the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:9-10). In a revival ministry, I learned that people may only see the outward appearance, but God tests my heart and knows even my secret sins (1 Samuel 16:7; Psalm 90:8; Proverbs 17:3b; Jeremiah 17:9-10).

That can be a scary thing. And for a long time, that’s how I reacted to God’s presence. Fear.

But knowing God seesme has become a comforting truth. Remember what Hagar said in Genesis 16:13-14 at the well where God saw her struggle? He provided for her, and she said, “You are the God Who sees me.” The Bible says the well was then called Beer Lahai Roi (Well of the Living One Who sees me). We can never escape His presence (Jeremiah 23:23-24; Psalm 139:7), and that’s a GOOD thing!